A Brother's Worth
by Jacklyn and Jolieth Stone
Summary: a Matt/ T.K. brother fic... someone from Matt's past has come back to haunt him... and take the only thing he's ever truly loved away from him. Chapter five up already!!!!
1. chapter one

A Brother's Worth

By Jacklyn and Jolieth Stone

Chapter one:

            T.K. Takaishi opened his front door wearily, having walked home from school with the heaviest bookbag in existence on his back. He dropped it on his bed as he got in his room, and headed for his computer. No e-mails (although he hadn't been expecting anything anyway). He heard the kitchen phone ring as he logged off and reached for his math book. He shuddered in disgust; math was never his best subject. Opening the book, he reached for his notebook. He had just started on the first problem when his mother called to him.

            "T.K.! Your brother's on the phone for you!"

            Closing the book, he scrambled off the bed and dove for the phone on his bedside table.

            "Got it!" he yelled to his mother, then spoke into the receiver, "Matt?"

            "Hey, squirt," came his brother's voice from the other end, "I was just wondering if you could do me a little favor."

            "Name it. Anything to get me out of math homework for the night" at T.K.'s reply, his brother laughed.

            "Well, I don't know what Mom will say to that, but a few people that help me set up before my concert are home sick with the flu. It seems to be going around. I was wondering if you'd like to help me out, seeing as you're my brother and you love me so much…'

            "When?"

            "Tonight. Six o'clock"

            "Where?"

            "That new concert hall a few blocks from the high school. I can pick you up if you need me to."

            "Then I'd love to help. I'll need a ride, though."

            "Great. I'll pick you up at five-thirty. Sound alright?"

            "I'll be ready."

            As the conversation came to an end, T.K.'s spirits soared higher. He hadn't seen Matt in a long time, since his band went on tour in America. They talked over the phone a few times, but it wasn't the same as having him there.

            Tonight was gonna rock (no pun intended).

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Matt Ishida sighed as he hung up the phone and turned to the rest of the band.

            "Hey, Matt?" said the band's drummer, Toyohiko.(A/N: To be honest with you, I have no idea who the members of Matt's band are. If anyone does, e-mail me at the address on my author page. Until then, this is a name I'm sticking with.)

            "Yeah?" he replied as they began walking towards the exit.

            "There's this guy looking for you," Toyo said, "He's waiting outside."

            "What kind of guy?"

            "Kinda creepy looking. Gave me the chills."

            They pushed their way out the back door of the concert hall. Sure enough, there was a guy there, leaning against the wall, one hand in his pocket and the other deftly holding a cigarette between his fingers.

            "Hey, Ishida," he greeted, a half smile on his face. Matt growled slightly as he recognized him.

            "Tierko," he hissed, "What do you want?"

            Tierko Avandares was the lead singer of another band called Teal Ice (yeah, yeah, real original). Some people called them and the Teenage Wolves rivals. That was wrong. They weren't rivals. They were just plain enemies. A year ago, they had both entered a Battle of the Bands contest. Matt had won. Tierko was furious. He had confronted Matt that night…

**~Flashback~**

**            Matt hurriedly got his car keys out from his pocket… he was late… his father was gonna kill him! The celebration with the band had lasted a little longer than he had expected. He was supposed to have been home at two… and it was now three-thirty. Opening his car door, he was about to step inside, when a voice stopped him in his tracks.**

**            "Hey, Ishida,"**

**            Matt spun around quickly and came face to face with a Spanish- looking teenager, not much older than himself.**

**            "Um… do I know you?" Matt asked, perplexed. He closed the car door._ -This could take awhile-_ **

**            "You should, since I'm the one you made a fool of back there," growled the teen, his eyes full of hatred. Matt took a step back in shock.**

**            "Oh, I remember you," he said as recognition set in, "You were the lead singer for that other band that made it into the finals, right?"**

**            "Something like that,"**

**            "Oh…" Matt faltered, "Well, I'm sure you tried your best…"**

**            "Yeah, whatever… listen, Ishida, I'm gonna get my revenge… you made a fool out of me in front of a few hundred thousand people… you'll pay for that, I swear… Keep an eye on the ones you care for, Ishida, there's no telling what may happen…" the guy sauntered off, a malicious grin on his face. **

**            Of course, Matt didn't sleep all that well that night…**

**~End Flashback~**

A disgusted look filled Matt's eyes as the memory came to him.

            "I asked you a question, Avandares: What do you want?"

            "Oh… touchy, are we? Well, Ishida, I came to talk to you… _privately_," he stared pointedly at the other members of the band, and they left without question when Matt dismissed them.

            "What?" the word was spat heatedly into Avandares's face.

            "Well, my band's run into a little trouble…" 

            "Not surprisingly. And?"

            "All we need is three grand to pay it back… I can pay it back"

            "No," Matt hissed the word without hesitation, "You put me through hell for the past year, and now you come here, expecting me to just give you three grand? I don't think so," after Matt had finished speaking, Avandares took a long breath as his cheeks turned red.

            "Allow me to remind you, Yamato Ishida, that I have very powerful friends," he hissed menacingly, "I suggest you give me the money, or you'll end up losing something much more valuable to you than a few grand."

            "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

            "It means whatever you perceive it to be. I suppose you still refuse?"

            "I'm not 'lending' you a dime,"

            "Very well," he sighed, walking away slowly, " But don't say I didn't warn you…" his words sent chills up Matt's spine.

            Suddenly, remembering his brother, he turned to go back inside. He had to pick T.K. up. He went inside to tell his band, and as he was, something was nagging at him, something he had to remember… but he couldn't. He shrugged it off as he got into his car and headed for Heightenview Terrace (that is where Teek lives, right?)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            "So, Avandares, why did you bring us here?"

            Tierko smiled into the faces of the three large men, cracking his knuckles.

            "Well, gentlemen, I seem to be having a little problem with someone…"

            "Who?"

            "Do you know who Yamato Ishida is?" he asked, and the three nodded.

            "Why?" asked the one who was obviously the leader.

            "Well, he's made me a little… upset"

            "So you want us to pick him off?"

            "No, not exactly. You see, there's one thing I know of that'll make him give me what I need."

            "What is it?"

            "Not what, my good man, but _who_. You see, I've done a little research, and found something that'll not only make Ishida give me what I want, but beg me for mercy at the same time… that is, if you're not opposed to kidnappings…"

            "Explain, Avandares"

            He grinned as he laid out his plan detail by detail, and as he finished, the three men grinned.

            " I like it," said the leader, "I like it a lot. How much is involved in this again?"

            "Six million"

            "I like those numbers. You're sure this'll work?"

            "One hundred percent sure"

            "When's it going down?"

            "Tonight. Ishida has a concert. The timing will be perfect. He won't even notice until it's already done"

            "Good. Then we're in."

            "I thought you'd say that…"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            "Hey, Matt?" T.K. called from a few yards away from his brother, where he was moving some heavy crates, "Where d'you want these?" Matt turned around and smiled at the sight before him: T.K. was attempting to move an extremely heavy crate by himself, kneeling on the floor, a frustrated look on his face. Laughing out loud, he moved over to him and took the other side of the crate.

            "Listen, squirt, if you need help, why don't you just ask?" he said as he and his brother lifted it together, "There's always enough help around here."

            "Then why'd you ask me to come?"

            "Is it so bad wanting my little brother at a concert for once? You never come to them anymore…"

            "You stopped inviting me."

            "Since when do you need an invitation?"

            "Well, when you stopped inviting me, I assumed you didn't want me around anymore"

            "Then you shouldn't assume. Assuming doesn't get you anywhere"

            "So you want me to start coming again?"

            "Sure. Bring friends if you like. I can provide the tickets."

            "Cool. I'll start coming. I'll bring Kari"

            "As in a date? I don't think she'll appreciate that much, seeing as the band performing is your brother's…"

            "No! Not as in a date! I don't think about her _that_ way! She 's just a friend, you know that!"

            "Okay, okay! Don't bite my head off!" Matt laughed as they set the crate down by some speakers, "But it's pretty obvious you like her… I mean, you spend so much time with her, and-"

            "And you spend a lot of time with Tai! Does that mean you have a crush on him? Maybe I should inform Sora that my brother has a crush on Tai simply because they spend a lot of time together!"

            "And besides, she has a crush on you, too" Matt ignored him and continued speaking. T.K. began to say something, but stopped halfway.

            "What?"

            "She's got a crush on you, bro. Heard her say it herself."

            "Really? From her own lips?"

            "Really. I know what I heard, squirt. So, you gonna ask her out?"

            "No! I still don't think about her that way!" T.K. began to walk off in search of something else to do, when-

            "Hey, squirt?"

            "Yeah?"

            "If you ever say I have a crush on Tai again, I'll personally rip your arms off"

            "Ooh… something to look forward to when I tell Sora,"

            "T.K.!"

            The young blonde laughed as his brother chased him, finally getting on his brother's nerves. He ran, still laughing, Matt not far behind.

            What they didn't realize was that someone was watching them from the shadows of the abandoned catwalk…

Author's Note: That ending was crappy. Well, next on A Brother's Worth: A kidnapping attempt goes wrong, and has Matt worried for his loved ones… but is he protecting the right person?

            Please review, and I hope the next chapter will be up soon (remind me to pester Jolie until she types it.) 


	2. chapter two

            Author's note: Okay, I forgot a few things in the first chapter: a disclaimer and a dedication. First, the disclaimer- 

**            Disclaimer: I don't own anything but myself (which I'm not so sure of anyway...)**

            And the dedication... This story goes out to Kodachrome, without whom I would've never come up with this idea... Koda, you are so totally my inspiration. Thanks. (Read Koda's story Vengeance, and you'll see what I mean...)

            Well, in this chapter, I'm not really too sure what's gonna happen as of yet... this is the first story that I've uploaded without the help of a notebook (which means I'm typing this totally blind... it wasn't written in a notebook first)

            I had a different version of this story in a notebook, but I decided I didn't like it... I guess you decided that, too...

            First, to Jackie (that's my name... that's my name... sorry, I just had to add that... I'm a little drunk on strawberry milk...), thank you soooo much for giving me the names... you're the absolute best!!!!! If you had any stories up on ff.net, I would review every single one of them... if you do, please tell me!!!! I am in extreme debt to you!!!! (Btw, I agree... Yamato *is* kawaii ;.])

            Next, to Ella J. W., thanks for telling me I was funny... to be honest, I thought the whole thing was kinda lame. I'm not much of a humor writer, so it's flattering to hear someone say I'm funny (Jolie certainly doesn't... I'm always told I'm lame... reviewers are so sweet...) Thanks. You really lifted my self esteem!(which hasn't been too great lately...)

            I also have major shout-outs going to sailr star light, Eriya, and sailormoonshadow... you guys (or gals) rock!!!!!

            So, without further ado, here's chapter two of A Brother's Worth!!!!! Enjoy!

Chapter Two:

            Sora Takenouchi smiled as she saw two blonde blurs sprinting down the hall towards her. She was really glad that Matt finally found some time to spend with his younger brother. T.K. really missed him.

            She sighed as they raced past her, then laughed as the younger one tripped and toppled over. Matt fell on top of him, and began tickling him, something that Sora never thought T.K. would let his brother do.

            _-It's a brother thing I guess...- she thought as she began to walk over to help them. She grabbed Matt's arms and hauled him up off the floor and T.K. pushed himself up and dusted off his clothes._

            "Someone's gonna get hurt if you two keep this up," she said with a small smile on her face. 

            "That's what we're counting on," T.K. grinned, and pounced on his brother again. 

            She laughed again as the two took off down the opposite way they came, Matt in the lead. Watching them disappear around the corner, she sighed again and turned to walk back to the stage. As soon as she took a step, though, she froze, startled.

            There was a man standing right in front of her.

             "Good Lord, you scared the hell out of me," she gasped and went to step around him, but he grabbed he arm suddenly.

            "You're Sora Takenouchi, right?" he purred. He was acting way too nice, and it scared her half to death. 

            "Would you please let go of my arm, I have to go..." when he didn't let go, she wrenched her arm out of his grip and took a few uncertain steps backwards.

            "Who are you?" she demanded as he came closer to her, "You keep away from me, or I'll call my boyfriend... he's really nearby, and if he knows I'm in trouble, he'll come running..." at this, the man laughed, and continued walking towards her. So, she did the only thing she could think of to do.

            She screamed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Matt laughed as his brother ran after him. He hadn't had this much fun in years, ever since he'd been a little kid. He really missed spending time with T.K. Being on the road was lonely, especially when you're all alone and your friends and family were out of touch. He was so excited when he was told he was coming back to Japan. The first thing he did when he stepped off the plane a week ago was call T.K. It was at that moment that he realized how much his little brother must have missed him, for it had sounded as though the younger blonde had burst into tears at the sound of Matt's voice.

            "Matt!"

            He was brought back to earth by his little brother's playful voice, and he grinned as he began to run again (although he didn't quite remember stopping). Yes, this was the way he wished it always was...

            Until a scream filled the air around them.

            "W-what was that?" asked T.K., who stopped along with his brother.

            "Sora..." Matt whispered, recognizing his girlfriend's voice. He took off at a sprint back toward the way they had come, leaving T.K. behind.

            He would've never known...

            Anything could've happened...

            And anything did.

            He just never knew.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            T.K. sighed as he watched his brother run off in a hurry. He didn't know what Matt was so afraid of... Sora screamed on a daily basis. Still... 

            Sighing again, he took a seat on a nearby crate, waiting for his brother to come back. Matt was always like this, he never wanted to spend time with anyone unless it was convenient for him. It made T.K. blood boil with anger. Matt had always promised to be there, and he never was when his brother needed him the most.

            Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He had the strange feeling someone was watching him. He spun around in his seat, and found, up on the catwalk, a man watching him… a man that looked like he didn't belong there.

            "Can I help you?" T.K. called up to him nervously, not liking the look the man was giving him.

            "Oh, you can help us alright…" the voice was right next to his ear, and he jumped up. There was another man behind him, advancing slowly towards him. 

            He panicked and stumbled back as the man's arm stretched toward him. He suddenly ran towards the way his brother had gone, and refused to stop even after the footsteps went silent. He continued running, until-

            He ran into his brother.

            "T.K., what's wrong?" Matt asked, shaken.

            _-I can't tell him… he'll think I'm a baby. Besides, he won't care anyway…-_

            "I… I was just looking for you," he lied, staring down at the floor. _– Please don't let him know I'm lying…-_

_            "Well, be careful next time," His brother scolded lightly._

            "What happened to Sora?"

            "A guy attacked her… he took off when the rest of the band ran over to her. I'm just glad she's safe, but I really would've liked to have smashed the guy's head in… no one attacks _my girlfriend…"_

            T.K. just nodded quietly as he followed his brother inside.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Tierko pounded on his van's steering wheel in anger as he stopped at a red light. He was pissed. The job hadn't been finished. There was always tomorrow, but…

            "I can't believe this!" he screamed to the dashboard, "I can't fuckin' believe this!"

            "Hey, chill," said the leader (who's name, he learned, was Max), "We can finish it tomorrow. Tonight just wasn't our night. Tomorrow it'll be finished. Then, we're on our way to easy street…"

            "I really hope you're right… I'd hate for this to be fucked up. I need this money,"

            "We all need this money, Avandares. Tomorrow, we'll get it. I promise. Tomorrow, it'll be all wrapped up in a sweet package, and Ishida will be wrapped around our finger…"

            Tomorrow. Suddenly, that sounded like such a long time.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Matt couldn't believe he went after Sora. Of all people, why her? She didn't do anything to him. She didn't mean any harm to him…

            He had heard Sora's description of her attacker, and he recognized it immediately: Tierko Avandares. He couldn't believe it. It made his head hurt. Avandares was so eager for revenge that he would attack an innocent person…

            Sora was terribly shaken. Matt had deliberately not told her about Avandares. He didn't want her to worry. He wanted to protect her.

            _-You once wanted to protect your brother, too- that thought turned his stomach to ice. T.K…. he was beginning to act really strange. Like he was angry with his own brother. Matt didn't quite understand why, but he hoped it would end soon. He hated it when his brother was angry with him._

            But in the meantime, he had some protecting to do.

            He just hoped he was doing the right thing.

            He couldn't believe how wrong doing the right thing turned out to be…

Author's Note (I love these): well, that's chapter two… and another sucky ending. Next on a Brother's Worth, while Matt is busy protecting Sora, something happens at the elementary school… and Matt makes a startling realization… but can he get there in time?

Thanks to every single person who reviewed any of my stories,

Jackie Stone

A little p.s. for ya here- if you look at my reviews, you'll see one by, well, me. No, I didn't review my own story, that was my very forgetful sister, Jolieth, who hadn't read the story before, so decided to review it… thing is, she forgot to sign out before she did… sorry, just wanted to clear that up. Okay, you're allowed to go now.


	3. chapter three

            Author's Note: Well, here we are. Finally. Chapter three. At last. I hope it's as good as it sounds in my head. It should be, seeing as I had two months to write it. (Also, as an answer to one of my reviews, as much as I'd love to kill off Sora in the beginning, she's actually important to the storyline. Maybe I'll consider it a bit later in the story though…Sorry, Koganei). As always, read and review, and please be nice.

-

Chapter three:

            Takeru groaned as he pulled the covers over his eyes in an attempt to block out the dull rays of the rising sun that were creeping slowly into his bedroom. He snuck a quick glance at the clock on his bedside table and groaned again. It was only five o'clock. 

            _-Oh, man- he thought, __- I'm never gonna get any sleep like this! –_

_            The night had been a rough one for him. Sleep just hadn't wanted to come to him. And he knew why. Last night had startled him badly. Those men… he didn't know who they were, but they had still scared him half to death. He didn't quite understand why he hadn't told his brother about them, but he decided at that moment to tell Yamato when he saw him next. _

            /**_Not like he would care anyway… you saw how he went running to Sora and left you there alone, unprotected. He doesn't want to protect you. You aren't important to him anymore. Sora is. You're nothing to him./_**

            He gasped as the foreign voice pushed into his head. 

            "Who… who's there?" he asked quietly, shrinking back into his blanket slightly.

            "I'm here," came a voice from below him, and Takeru looked down to see Patamon staring up at him concernedly, "Are you alright? You look really sick and pale!"

            "I'm okay," he whispered, "Just a bit shook up. A bad dream, that's all."

            Patamon nodded, this answer seeming to satisfy him, and drifted back up onto the bed, shutting his eyes. Sighing, the little digimon's partner got up and headed out the bedroom door, leaving it open just a little bit. 

            _-As long as I'm up, I might as well start getting ready for school…-_

            As he entered the kitchen, he gasped. There was his mother, hovering over the stove. His mother, who was too busy to drive her own son to school in the morning. His mother, who was quite content to drop him of at his brother's house when she had things to do. His mother, the one who wasn't sure how to really be a mom… was making breakfast. Real food.

            "Uh… Mom?" he said cautiously, and she turned, smiling at him.

            "Hey, Sleepyhead," she said playfully, "I was wondering when you'd get up."

            "I couldn't sleep," he explained as he sat down, and a plate was placed in front of him, "I had a nightmare."

            "Oh? Wanna talk about it?" 

            "Not really," he said as he bit into a slightly burnt pancake.

            "Okay. How about I give you a ride to school?"

            "I'd like that. But don't you have to go to work?"

            "I… no, honey, I… I don't,"

            He looked up from his breakfast to stare at his mother.

            "Mom… what's wrong? What happened?" he asked as she sat down beside him.

            "Honey… I just got a call from my boss… that's why I'm awake… Takeru, I was laid off."

            It hit him like a ton of bricks. He sat there in silence as his mother began crying and gathering him into her arms.

            "Mom, what're we going to do, with you not having a job?"

            "Well, I was thinking about that… and I think it's best if you live with your brother for a while… until I get another job."

            He lifted his head off her shoulder and looked at her.

            _-… live with…Yamato?-_

_            He had to admit… it was something to think about._

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            It was seven o'clock by the time Yamato Ishida awoke to birds chirping noisily outside Sora's living room window. His back hurt as he slowly got off her couch, and he made a mental note to remind her to get a new one. He limped into her kitchen (he vaguely remembered hitting his foot on her coffee table… hard), and found his girlfriend (A/N: ::shudder::) sitting in one of the chairs, sipping coffee from an oversized mug. Her eyebrows were furrowed in worry, and as he sat down next to her, she looked up at him, smiling sadly.

            "Sora, what's wrong?" he asked, almost afraid of the answer.

            "I just got a call from your mother," she replied, and Yamato immediately thought of his brother.

            "What is it? Has something happened to Takeru?"  he said worriedly.

            "Not… exactly. Your mother was laid off. She called to ask if Takeru could stay with you for a little while."

            "And what did you say?"

            "I told her I'd tell you when you got up. She said for you to call as soon as possible."

            "Alright."

            "The phone is on the coffee table."

            "Yeah," sighed Yamato, remembering last night, "I noticed."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            "Oh, that's wonderful. Thank you so much. You wanna talk to him yourself?"

            Takeru was just closing the car door as he got in when his mother handed him her cell phone. 

            "It's your brother," he nodded towards his mother and spoke into the phone.

            "Yeah?"

            "Hey, squirt. Guess you're gonna be with me for a while, huh?" came Yamato's voice.

            "I guess so."

            "Listen, Takeru. Today, after school, don't head home. Wait for me. I'll pick you up. You know what my car looks like, don't you?"

            "Blue convertible, right?"

            "That's it. I'll see ya after school, squirt."

            "Yeah, I'll see ya."

            He handed the phone back to his mother, who took it and held it to her own ear. He listened to her side of the conversation, and when she hung up, he turned his head to look at the passing trees.

            "I already called the school and gave them Yamato's number, so you don't have to worry about that. I want you to wait right outside the school, no playing around. Sit on the steps or wherever you want, just make sure he can see you. Alright?"   

            "Alright, Mom," he replied as they came to a stop in front of the school, and he opened the passenger door.

            "Have a nice day at school, hon. And don't worry, I'll have this all fixed as soon as I can."

            He kissed her on the cheek and stepped onto the sidewalk.

            "I'm sure it'll all turn out. Bye, Mom," he said reassuringly, and stepped back to watch her drive away.

If only she had stayed…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

            Yamato stretched as he got up from the couch after attempting to get a little more sleep. Not surprisingly, he had failed. Miserably. Now, his back hurt, he had a headache, his ankle was throbbing painfully, and he was in an extremely bad mood.

            So, when his cell phone rang five minutes later, it was all he could do to stop himself from throwing the damn thing out the window.

            "What?" he growled into the receiver.

            "Is this Yamato Ishida?" asked a pleasant female voice from the other end.

            "Yeah. Who wants to know?"

            "This is Ms. Roberts, the nurse at Takeru's school. I was just calling to ask if your brother is out sick today?"

            "No, our mother took him to school."

            "Are you sure about that?" he detected a hint of worry in the woman's voice.

            "Of course I'm sure. Why?"

            "Well, I was just checking attendance, and it seems as though he didn't go to homeroom this morning."

            "What? But he's never skipped school before…"

            "Mr. Ishida, please calm down. I'll do another check, and I'll call you when I'm finished. You know kids, Takeru probably just lost track of time. I'll call as soon as I can."

            "Yeah, bye,"

            He hung up the phone in quiet worry. Takeru wasn't the type to skip school… It got Yamato worried.

            "Yamato, who was that?" Sora's voice drifted in from the kitchen, and he headed through the doorway and sat next to her.

            "Takeru's school… he didn't show up at school this morning.

            "What? Oh, no… you don't think he skipped, do you?"

            "No, I don't. That's what's got me worried. If he didn't skip, then what could've…" he trailed off as it hit him, "Oh, God… Sora, we've got to get to the school!"

            "Why? What happened?" she gasped as he pulled her to her feet.

            "I think I know what happened to Takeru… I just hope I'm not too late…"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            "Let go of me, you creep!"

            Takeru struggled with his captor as he was roughly shoved into the back of a van. Tears of fright were forming in the corner of his eyes as one of the men held him down to the floor of the vehicle, tying his wrists together. He was scared- no, terrified- of what these men could probably do to him. He was shaking uncontrollably.

            "You be a good little boy, and we won't have to kill you, you got that?" said one of the men harshly as Takeru shrank into a corner of the van, and he nodded fearfully, not being able to come up with anything to say. 

            They drove a little way, though Takeru wasn't able to see where they were going, as there were no windows in the van except for the windshield, and he couldn't see out that anyway. So, he just sat in his corner and waited for something to be explained to him. But nothing was.

            "Where are you taking me?" he asked quietly, and one of the men turned to look at him.

            "You'll know when we feel like telling you."

            "Can you tell me what you want with me?" 

            "Listen, kid, if you don't shut up—"

            "Easy, Manny. The kid's scared to death. The least we can do is tell him why," said the driver, not taking his eyes off the road.

            "Fine," the other one snapped, "You're here because a guy hired us to take you. Has something to do with that brother of yours, I think."

            "Yamato? But why me?"

            "You're his brother," said the driver, "I'm supposing he'd do anything to get you back, right?"

            "I… I guess…" he'd never really thought of that. He slightly struggled with the ropes that were now digging painfully into his wrists. He had to get out of here. He had to get free. He had to get help. And fast.

            Author's Note: yup, that's it. At least this ending was better than the last two. A short chapter, but I promise I'll try to write more in the next one.

            Next time on A Brother's Worth: Yamato's finally told what's going on, and Takeru attempts to get away. Sora… I'm not sure what'll happen to her just yet… we'll just have to see. Thanks again to everyone who's reviewing my stories, and a special thanks to Kodachrome, my inspiration. Ja ne, and don't forget to review!

            -Jacklyn Stone (Jolie's in Nicaragua, so it's just me for the summer)


	4. author's note to be removed

A Brother's Worth

By Jacklyn Stone

Chapter four:

            "Matt, slow down. Please!"

            Sora Takenouchi's grip on the handle above the passenger side door of her boyfriend's car was so tight that her knuckles looked completely devoid of blood. Her breakfast threatened to leave her stomach at every sharp turn, every terrifying downhill fall. If this didn't stop soon—

            "Matt!" she screamed as they narrowly avoided a collision with a red Honda (mind you, it was _parked_), "Matt, stop this car right here!"

            They swerved to the right and came to a stop at the side of the road. Sora's grip on the handle relaxed, and she brought her arm back down, looking at the blonde as he leaned his forehead on the steering wheel.

            "Matt, sweetheart, you need to fill me in. What the hell's going on?" Sora looked close to tears, "I've never seen you like this. It scares me. Please tell me what's going on…"  
            "I…I think Takeru's in a lot of danger, Sora. You remember the guy who attacked you yesterday?" Matt asked, and his girlfriend nodded, "I've met him before, last year. He's been making my life hell ever since. I think he went after my brother."

            "But… why?"

            "He came up to me before I went to pick Takeru up last night. He wanted money. I told him to burn in hell. He got upset, threatened me a little, and left. I thought at first that you were his target, but now… I believe he was after my brother the whole time. You were just a decoy."

            "What do you mean?"

            "When you screamed, I left him behind. They probably tried to grab him there, but he got away."

            "Why wouldn't he tell someone?"

            "Oh, he told someone, alright. Just not me. That's why we're headed for the school."

            "Kari."

            "If I'm right, and he was attacked last night, he had to have told someone. He would've told her. She's his best friend."

            "So, let's get going, then…."

            They started down the road, Sora processing the new information in her head. So, Matt thought T.K. was kidnapped by this guy… it made sense (at least, more sense than that he skipped). But that didn't mean she liked it.

            She jolted back to her senses at the car lurched forward, and she briefly saw a flash of white paint as they came to a stop. She knew this was going to happen. Matt had gotten into and accident.

            "Sora, you alright?"

            "Yeah… what about—oh my God," her voice broke off in a gasp as she saw the woman getting out of the white car adjacent to them.

            "What? What is it?"

            "Matt—it's your mother."

***

            Takeru trembled as he silently struggled with his bonds. They were digging into his wrists, burning them. A tear slid down his cheek as reality hit him on the head: these men were going to kill him, and they were going to have fun doing it.

            They'd been talking in Spanish, a language Takeru was just beginning to pick up from Ken, for the past fifteen minutes. The young blonde picked up little words and phrases, and finally came up with the conclusion that they were talking about money.

            Small sobs escaped from his throat, too loud for Takeru's liking.

            "Kid, will you stop that?" the man known as Manny said harshly, and Takeru stopped crying immediately, "This is hard enough without having to listen to you."

            "Manny…" said the driver sternly, and the older man fell silent, "Yo pienso que esto no es una buena idea."

            "¿De que estas hablando?"

            "Yo solo digo que este tipo de trobajo no es bueno para nosotros. Deberiamos de dejar al niño ir. Mira como esta. Ningun niño deberia pasar por esto. Ademas no nesecitamos el dinero de esta manera."

            According to what Takeru could understand, they were talking about something not being good for them, and again about money. Were they talking about the money they were going to demand out of Matt?

            "Si nos echamos para tras en este momento, nosotros moriremos," Manny hissed angrily, "Avandares nos encontrara y matara a nuestras familias. Mira lo que hizo a un muchacho solo porque no le quizo dar dinero. Imajinate lo que nos hara, Issac."

            "Que tal si le decimos que se escapo?" the driver, Issac, replied, obviously suggesting something, "Que corrimos atras de él pero se escondio. Entonses no seria nuestra culpa."

            "Avandares nos dira que lo intentemos otra vez, o no?" Manny snapped back, "Solo callate y has lo que el nos diga. El niño no va a salir lastimado. Él solo lo va a montener aqui por un tiempo, despues el va a ser de vuelto a su hermano, sin ningun daño." 

            They were talking about his brother, Takeru realized, and they said something about someone not getting hurt… were they on his side?

            "Estabien," said Issac, "Pero si el sale lastimado, yo lo voy a de volver immediamente," he looked into the rearview mirror as the van stopped at a red light, "It's okay, kid, we aren't gonna hurt you. You just gotta we say for a while, then you'll go back to your hermano… your brother."

            "You expect me to believe you?" Takeru spat, "You kidnapped me form my own school. If you can be trusted so much, you'd return me to my family."

            "That's what we'd like to do, but we can't. If we let you go now, you'll just be taken again, and we'd be killed. Trust me, you should feel lucky that we're the ones doing this, 'cause anyone else would've killed you by now."

            "And what happens if Matt can't raise that money? What happens to me?"

            Both men remained suddenly quiet.

            "What's stopping this Avandares guy from killing me off now and getting it over with?"

            "We are," replied Issac, "I'm not going to let you get hurt, don't worry about that. If worse comes to worst, we'll personally bring you back to your brother, but for now, you're gonna have to stay with us until everything cools down."

            "Will I be able to at least _see _my brother?"

            "I'll try to arrange something," said Issac, "But for now, just sit tight and let us take care of things. You don't have to be afraid of us."

            But what Takeru was really afraid of was the fact that he was beginning to trust these men with everything. His whole being wanted to trust Issac.

            And that couldn't be good.

*~*

            Matt's breath caught in his throat as he watched Nancy Takaishi climb out of her car to examine the damage. Her eyes took in her busted fender, and she sighed defeatedly, taking out her cell phone and thinking. She stayed like that for a few moments until she finally started to dial a number.

            And Matt's own phone rang.

            Sora burst into nervous laughter as Matt answered it.

            "Hi, Mom… yeah, I know you were in a car accident… I'm in the other car…" she looked at them, and Matt gave her a small wave, ending the phone call. He got out of his car as Nancy reached him.

            "Matt, what the hell were you doing, going so fast?" she cried, "You could've been hurt!"

            "Mom, listen," he cut her off before she could say more, "You have to trust me. Stay here with Sora. Call whoever you need to. I have something to take care of that's really important. I'll be right back."

            "But Matt—" she was too late. Her son was already halfway down the street.

            He would've liked to tell Nancy the truth about her younger son, but he didn't want to alarm her. There was a slight chance that he may be wrong, and there was nothing to be worried about at all…

            He turned down an alleyway, a well known shortcut he used to take when he was still in grammar school. Tai always said he was crazy for going down the creepy alley, but then, Tai had no right to talk.

            "Hey, _amigo_," came an all too familiar voice from one of the many shadows, and Matt skidded to a stop in time to see Tierko Avandares take a step toward him, "Where to in such a hurry?"

            "You," the blonde spat, disgust in his voice, "Where's my brother?"

            "Your _hermano _is fine… for now," Avandares drawled, obviously enjoying the look on Matt's face, "But he won't be for long."

            "What do you want with him? He's done nothing to you."

            "It's simple, really, _amigo_. You get me what I want, you get your brother back. Easy, no?"

            "What is it that I need to get?"

            "Money, Ishida."

            "The few grand you asked me for yesterday?"

            "Oh, no, my friend, we're far past that point. My financial situation has… changed. I'm going to need much more than that."

            "How much more?"

            "Six million. And that's in American dollars."

            "What?" Numbness spread throughout Matt's body like wildfire, rendering his legs useless. He could never come up with that much…

            "I need my money, you need your brother. Let's just make everything easy and help each other out, eh?"

            "You sick bastard…" Matt breathed, the numbness being overtaken by rage, "Why are you doing this? Why my brother?"

            "You pissed me off, Yamato Ishida, and now it's time for you to learn that I don't take lightly to being pissed off. As for your brother…, he was the easiest to go after. You were so busy worrying over your _novia… Sora, was it?… that you totally forgot about him. Some brother you turned out to be, no?"_

            "How do you propose I get this money?" Matt asked, purposely ignoring the words that threatened to bring tears to his eyes.

            "I don't care how you get it," Avandares snarled, "Just get it to me, or your _hermano is dead. You have a month."_

            "A _month_?" this was now officially impossible. 

            "That's all. I'm a busy man, _amigo_. I don't have the time to babysit your family members. One month from now, if I don't have 6 million dollars in my bank account, Takeru Takaishi dies. I'll be in touch." And, as swiftly as he came, Tierko Avandares was gone, leaving Matt to lean heavily against the wall of the alley and fight back the sobs that threatened to overwhelm him.

            _This is not good…_

            So, there you go. I know it's not too good, but I was really kinda busy. This had to have been the hardest chapter for me to write. I needed to get Matt's reaction just right, but I don't think I achieved that. 

            But get ready. This isn't your average kidnapping fic. This entire story is about to do a complete 180 in about 3 or 4 chapters.

            That's where you come in. What do you think I should do now that I've gotten Takeru kidnapped? I'd like to know your opinion: what happens next? I already know the main plot; now you get to supply the details.

            I live off of reviews: they get eaten for dinner at my house. Please feed me.

Jacklyn Stone


	5. chapter four unformatted

A Brother's Worth By Jacklyn Stone  
  
Chapter four:  
  
"Matt, slow down. Please!" Sora Takenouchi's grip on the handle above the passenger side door of her boyfriend's car was so tight that her knuckles looked completely devoid of blood. Her breakfast threatened to leave her stomach at every sharp turn, every terrifying downhill fall. If this didn't stop soon- "Matt!" she screamed as they narrowly avoided a collision with a red Honda (mind you, it was parked), "Matt, stop this car right here!" They swerved to the right and came to a stop at the side of the road. Sora's grip on the handle relaxed, and she brought her arm back down, looking at the blonde as he leaned his forehead on the steering wheel. "Matt, sweetheart, you need to fill me in. What the hell's going on?" Sora looked close to tears, "I've never seen you like this. It scares me. Please tell me what's going on."  
  
"I.I think Takeru's in a lot of danger, Sora. You remember the guy who attacked you yesterday?" Matt asked, and his girlfriend nodded, "I've met him before, last year. He's been making my life hell ever since. I think he went after my brother." "But. why?" "He came up to me before I went to pick Takeru up last night. He wanted money. I told him to burn in hell. He got upset, threatened me a little, and left. I thought at first that you were his target, but now. I believe he was after my brother the whole time. You were just a decoy." "What do you mean?" "When you screamed, I left him behind. They probably tried to grab him there, but he got away." "Why wouldn't he tell someone?" "Oh, he told someone, alright. Just not me. That's why we're headed for the school." "Kari." "If I'm right, and he was attacked last night, he had to have told someone. He would've told her. She's his best friend." "So, let's get going, then.." They started down the road, Sora processing the new information in her head. So, Matt thought T.K. was kidnapped by this guy. it made sense (at least, more sense than that he skipped). But that didn't mean she liked it. She jolted back to her senses at the car lurched forward, and she briefly saw a flash of white paint as they came to a stop. She knew this was going to happen. Matt had gotten into and accident. "Sora, you alright?" "Yeah. what about-oh my God," her voice broke off in a gasp as she saw the woman getting out of the white car adjacent to them. "What? What is it?" "Matt-it's your mother." *** Takeru trembled as he silently struggled with his bonds. They were digging into his wrists, burning them. A tear slid down his cheek as reality hit him on the head: these men were going to kill him, and they were going to have fun doing it. They'd been talking in Spanish, a language Takeru was just beginning to pick up from Ken, for the past fifteen minutes. The young blonde picked up little words and phrases, and finally came up with the conclusion that they were talking about money. Small sobs escaped from his throat, too loud for Takeru's liking. "Kid, will you stop that?" the man known as Manny said harshly, and Takeru stopped crying immediately, "This is hard enough without having to listen to you." "Manny." said the driver sternly, and the older man fell silent, "Yo pienso que esto no es una buena idea." "¿De que estas hablando?" "Yo solo digo que este tipo de trobajo no es bueno para nosotros. Deberiamos de dejar al niño ir. Mira como esta. Ningun niño deberia pasar por esto. Ademas no nesecitamos el dinero de esta manera." According to what Takeru could understand, they were talking about something not being good for them, and again about money. Were they talking about the money they were going to demand out of Matt? "Si nos echamos para tras en este momento, nosotros moriremos," Manny hissed angrily, "Avandares nos encontrara y matara a nuestras familias. Mira lo que hizo a un muchacho solo porque no le quizo dar dinero. Imajinate lo que nos hara, Issac." "Que tal si le decimos que se escapo?" the driver, Issac, replied, obviously suggesting something, "Que corrimos atras de él pero se escondio. Entonses no seria nuestra culpa." "Avandares nos dira que lo intentemos otra vez, o no?" Manny snapped back, "Solo callate y has lo que el nos diga. El niño no va a salir lastimado. Él solo lo va a montener aqui por un tiempo, despues el va a ser de vuelto a su hermano, sin ningun daño." They were talking about his brother, Takeru realized, and they said something about someone not getting hurt. were they on his side? "Estabien," said Issac, "Pero si el sale lastimado, yo lo voy a de volver immediamente," he looked into the rearview mirror as the van stopped at a red light, "It's okay, kid, we aren't gonna hurt you. You just gotta we say for a while, then you'll go back to your hermano. your brother." "You expect me to believe you?" Takeru spat, "You kidnapped me form my own school. If you can be trusted so much, you'd return me to my family." "That's what we'd like to do, but we can't. If we let you go now, you'll just be taken again, and we'd be killed. Trust me, you should feel lucky that we're the ones doing this, 'cause anyone else would've killed you by now." "And what happens if Matt can't raise that money? What happens to me?" Both men remained suddenly quiet. "What's stopping this Avandares guy from killing me off now and getting it over with?" "We are," replied Issac, "I'm not going to let you get hurt, don't worry about that. If worse comes to worst, we'll personally bring you back to your brother, but for now, you're gonna have to stay with us until everything cools down." "Will I be able to at least see my brother?" "I'll try to arrange something," said Issac, "But for now, just sit tight and let us take care of things. You don't have to be afraid of us." But what Takeru was really afraid of was the fact that he was beginning to trust these men with everything. His whole being wanted to trust Issac. And that couldn't be good. *~*  
  
Matt's breath caught in his throat as he watched Nancy Takaishi climb out of her car to examine the damage. Her eyes took in her busted fender, and she sighed defeatedly, taking out her cell phone and thinking. She stayed like that for a few moments until she finally started to dial a number. And Matt's own phone rang. Sora burst into nervous laughter as Matt answered it. "Hi, Mom. yeah, I know you were in a car accident. I'm in the other car." she looked at them, and Matt gave her a small wave, ending the phone call. He got out of his car as Nancy reached him. "Matt, what the hell were you doing, going so fast?" she cried, "You could've been hurt!" "Mom, listen," he cut her off before she could say more, "You have to trust me. Stay here with Sora. Call whoever you need to. I have something to take care of that's really important. I'll be right back." "But Matt-" she was too late. Her son was already halfway down the street. He would've liked to tell Nancy the truth about her younger son, but he didn't want to alarm her. There was a slight chance that he may be wrong, and there was nothing to be worried about at all. He turned down an alleyway, a well known shortcut he used to take when he was still in grammar school. Tai always said he was crazy for going down the creepy alley, but then, Tai had no right to talk. "Hey, amigo," came an all too familiar voice from one of the many shadows, and Matt skidded to a stop in time to see Tierko Avandares take a step toward him, "Where to in such a hurry?" "You," the blonde spat, disgust in his voice, "Where's my brother?" "Your hermano is fine. for now," Avandares drawled, obviously enjoying the look on Matt's face, "But he won't be for long." "What do you want with him? He's done nothing to you." "It's simple, really, amigo. You get me what I want, you get your brother back. Easy, no?" "What is it that I need to get?" "Money, Ishida." "The few grand you asked me for yesterday?" "Oh, no, my friend, we're far past that point. My financial situation has. changed. I'm going to need much more than that." "How much more?" "Six million. And that's in American dollars." "What?" Numbness spread throughout Matt's body like wildfire, rendering his legs useless. He could never come up with that much. "I need my money, you need your brother. Let's just make everything easy and help each other out, eh?" "You sick bastard." Matt breathed, the numbness being overtaken by rage, "Why are you doing this? Why my brother?" "You pissed me off, Yamato Ishida, and now it's time for you to learn that I don't take lightly to being pissed off. As for your brother., he was the easiest to go after. You were so busy worrying over your novia. Sora, was it?. that you totally forgot about him. Some brother you turned out to be, no?" "How do you propose I get this money?" Matt asked, purposely ignoring the words that threatened to bring tears to his eyes. "I don't care how you get it," Avandares snarled, "Just get it to me, or your hermano is dead. You have a month." "A month?" this was now officially impossible. "That's all. I'm a busy man, amigo. I don't have the time to babysit your family members. One month from now, if I don't have 6 million dollars in my bank account, Takeru Takaishi dies. I'll be in touch." And, as swiftly as he came, Tierko Avandares was gone, leaving Matt to lean heavily against the wall of the alley and fight back the sobs that threatened to overwhelm him. This is not good.  
So, there you go. I know it's not too good, but I was really kinda busy. This had to have been the hardest chapter for me to write. I needed to get Matt's reaction just right, but I don't think I achieved that. But get ready. This isn't your average kidnapping fic. This entire story is about to do a complete 180 in about 3 or 4 chapters. That's where you come in. What do you think I should do now that I've gotten Takeru kidnapped? I'd like to know your opinion: what happens next? I already know the main plot; now you get to supply the details. I live off of reviews: they get eaten for dinner at my house. Please feed me.  
  
Jacklyn Stone 


	6. Chapter five

A Brother's Worth

Jacklyn and Jolieth Stone

Chapter five:

            Tai Kamiya hummed quietly to himself as he picked his school uniform out of his dresser. He tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes, yawning loudly. Kari had already left for school—the elementary school started an hour before the high school. He pulled the green blazer on as the doorbell rang.

            That was strange. No one ever came over this early in the morning (his parents had already left for work). Curious, he shuffled for the door, yelling out that he was coming.

            He opened the door, and there stood a disheveled Yamato Ishida. 

            "Matt?" Tai breathed, suddenly concerned. Matt looked like he'd been crying, and Tai hadn't seen him cry since they were twelve.

            "He took Takeru," was all Tai needed to hear, and within seconds, the blonde was in his living room, carefully sipping some green tea Tai had made earlier. 

            "Who? Who took Takeru?"

            "Tierko Avandares," Matt answered. Tai remembered the name from last year, when Matt had told him what happened.

            "But why?"

            "I don't know," he answered, on the verge of tears for the second time, "All I know is that he took my brother and is probably planning to kill him."

            "Did you call the police?"

            "Not yet. The school might have." Matt set down the cup, his tea finished.

            "What are you planning to do?" Tai asked.

            "I'm not sure what to do. Avandares wants money. I could never come up with it."

            "How much?"

            "Six million dollars."

            "…"

            "Yeah."

            Tai sat there, suddenly unable to say anything. Six million dollars was a lot of money. Matt would never be able to raise it…

            "I have a month."

            _This situation just keeps getting better and better…_

            "Oh, man…" Tai breathed, "That's not a lot of time."

            "No shit 'that's not a lot of time.' I'm never gonna come up with the money in time. Takeru's going to be killed. And it's my fault."

            "How is this your fault? You couldn't have seen this coming."

            "I should have, though. Avandares came up to me just last night, practically told me exactly what he was going to do. I was too busy worrying over Sora to even think about Takeru…" Matt's voice became muffled as he buried his head in his hands, "If I hadn't been so preoccupied, I could've prevented this from happening. I could've kept him out of this."

            "Matt… saying 'I could've' isn't going to solve anything. You need to take some action. You need to call the police. You need to call the others. We need to see if there's a way to find him. There are loads of other things you can do right now other than beating yourself up over something that's already done. You can't change the past, Matt, but we can definitely change the future."

            An awkward silence followed.

            "You're right," Tai heard the blonde whisper, "You're right. I'm gonna call my mom first," he suddenly grinned, "I kinda got into an accident with her on the way to the school… I left her with Sora." 

"Heaven help your mother."

Matt gave a high-pitched, unnatural laugh and took out his cell phone. 

_Oh, Matt… I'm so sorry…_

The van came to rest in what seemed like a warehouse-type building to Takeru. Maybe it was a parking garage, he wasn't sure. The back doors of the van were wrenched open, making Takeru fall backwards, seeing as he'd been leaning on it for support for the ride. He was pushed back into an upright position by a man he'd never seen before that sent chills up his spine.

He was a skinny man, his face gaunt and scary-looking. The man's hand went to Takeru's collar, jerking him out of the van, choking him. He was pushed into the arms of another man, almost twice as large as the twelve-year-old was, and his arms were pulled behind his back painfully. Tears sprung to his eyes, but he remained silent and didn't struggle. 

"Be careful with him," said Isaac, "We don't want to hurt him too early on… Ishida won't want damaged goods."

"I don't think Ishida will care if he's 'damaged' or not," The skinny man sneered, "You should've seen the look on his face when I told him… it was priceless."

Anger flashed through Takeru's head briefly. He assumed this man was Avandares. No wonder Isaac was so afraid of him.

"So, what are we going to do with him now?" one of the men asked.

"Oh, I've got my own ideas… I'm going to take him somewhere where that wretched brother of his will never find him…" Avandares hissed, grinning evilly.

"Where?"

"Heh heh… _Mexico."_

"This is bad… really bad."

All the digidestined, sans Takeru, sat in a circle in Matt's living room. Kari was in her brother's arms, crying softly, rocking back and forth.

"Well, if he's got his D3 or his D-terminal with him, there's a small chance we could find him… but I doubt it, seeing as we're not in the digital world." explained Koushiro with a sad look in his eyes, "But I'll try."

"Meanwhile," Joe said, "We've got to figure out what we're going to do about this if Koushiro can't find him. Any ideas?"

"We should think about how to get this money," replied Ken softly from the armchair, "Have you thought about it, Matt?"

"Yeah. I was thinking a concert, but there's no way it could raise near enough." The blonde whispered, "This is going to be extremely difficult to do… and I only have a month."

"We'll help you, Matt, you know we will," promised Daisuke, "We'll do everything we can, but if it comes to it, we may have to find him and rescue him ourselves."

"But how can we do that without putting T.K. in danger?" asked Cody, "We can't let this guy know we're there."

"That's what we've got to figure out," replied the redhead.

Matt remained quiet as his friends talked amongst themselves, his knees drawn up to his chest as he sat in the loveseat next to Sora. Tai was worried about him. He'd really taken this hard, and Tai was beginning to see a shadow of the younger, more angsty side of the blonde that he hoped he'd never see again.   

They had to find Takeru, and they had to find him soon.

Not really long, but hey, work with me. This has got to be a record for me—two chapters in less than a month. Consider this an 'I'm sorry' for making you wait so long for an update. 

So, this is one of the many, many twists in this story. Takeru's being taken to Mexico… poor thing. My offer's still up: if you've got any ideas, tell me! Review!!! I'll love you if you do!!!

But if you think this is the biggest twist in the story, you ain't seen nothin' yet.

Oh, and Koda, I'm sending you a big hug from Joey (even though Ryou's much cuter ;))!!! Check out my alter ego, Ame no Mizu, for my new Yu-gi-oh fics!!!

Thankies!!! 


	7. Chapter six

A Brother's Worth

By Jacklyn Stone

            Author's Note: I would just like to take a moment to send my extreme gratitude to those who have been reviewing this story. Kodachrome, sailrmoonshadow, EllaJ.W, jackiedragon, and the others who've reviewed. You've really brought up my self-esteem!!! 

Chapter six:

Mexico.

The mention of it sent chills up Takeru's spine. All he knew about the country was what Matt had told him when he'd gotten back from there with Ken, which wasn't much. He had to find a way to get away from these men, and quickly. 

They had put him in a small room, complete with… absolutely nothing. No windows, no vents, nothing but a door and a small table. They had, at least, freed his rope-burned hands. Isaac had come in earlier to put a cool cream on the wrists, apologizing for Avandares' roughness. 

Takeru had curled up in a chilly corner of the room, fighting back tears. He couldn't let them know he was scared. But he wanted to be back home so badly…

Sniffling, he sat upright as the door of the room was wrenched open, revealing Avandares and a man that slightly resembled a mountain with arms and legs. Takeru's shivering ceased as he tried to calm his nerves. He had to be brave.

"Stand up," Avandares hissed, curling his fingers around the boy's arm and pulling him to his feet, "We leave in an hour."

Takeru was dragged out the room and down a long corridor to where the other men, including Isaac and Manny, were obviously waiting for them.

"Take him," said Avandares, pushing the blonde into Isaac's gentle arms, "Make sure he stays here. The rest of you follow me. We've got to plan this carefully."

When he was sure the other men were far enough out of hearing range, Takeru turned to Isaac.

"Mexico?" he gasped, "If I get taken there, I'm as good as done for! Matt could never figure out I'm in Mexico!"

"I see no way out of this, Takeru, I'm sorry," the Spanish man answered, "I've been thinking, but it seems that the best way to keep you safe is to let him take you. If you were to escape now, he'd be able to find you. I can't get you out of here without drawing suspicion to us. Avandares would know. He wouldn't hesitate to kill you."

"What if Matt can't come up with the money? I'm stuck in Mexico. That can't be good for me. He's going to kill me anyway."

"I told you not to worry about that," whispered Isaac, "As long as you're with me, he won't harm you. I have many friends in Mexico. If things get bad, they'll help me. Don't worry."

"O-okay."

But he still didn't like it. Something about this whole mess gave him a sinking feeling in his stomach. He felt as though something was about to happen, something that would change the whole situation…

… for the worst.

Matt leaned his head against the frame of the living room window, staring outside but not really seeing anything. His mother had become nearly hysterical when she learned her youngest son had been kidnapped. He was relieved that she didn't blame him—he didn't need that right now.

The rest of the digidestined had been so supportive. Taichi had called Mimi, who was coming over on the earliest plane she could manage. Koushiro was working on a program that would track Takeru's digivice. Davis, Ken, Tai, Koushiro, and Joe were staying overnight for moral support. Everyone was doing something to help, and he couldn't be more grateful. 

But there was still that voice in the back of his head that was telling him this was all his fault.

It was driving him nuts. That voice wouldn't go away. It was pulling him deeper and deeper into that dark cave that now only existed in his mind. But this time, there was no Gabumon to pull him out. He was surrounded by his friends, but in truth, he was alone. It was eating away at him. He had to find Takeru before he went insane.

"Matt?"

He turned and saw Tai looking at him, concerned.

"You okay?" the brunette asked, "You don't look well."

"I'll be fine," Matt answered, knowing it was a lie.

"If you need someone to talk to, well… that's why we're here, you know…"

"Yeah, I know."

"Just making sure."

"… whatever." The word slipped from between his lips before he realized it. In fact, he didn't even know he said it until Tai continued to speak.

"Matt, I'm worried about you," he said, his voice sounding distressed, "Look… I know you're upset and worried and angry, but you can't let it take over you. You've changed so much since you were twelve… please don't back to the way you were! You'll just be pulled into that whole darkness thing again! That won't help your brother, and it won't help the team. It never has. All it'll do is make things harder on all of us. Losing Takeru is bad enough without having you going on your little angst trips! This isn't making anything better!"

A tense silence followed.

"Great. Thanks, Tai. That's just what I need. You, screaming in my face. You say you don't want me going back to the way I was—well, look at you! I can't deal with this right now!" Matt exploded, pushing away from the window, brushing past his friend, grabbing his coat off the easy chair, "If you need me, I'll be out going over all the ways I'm not a part of this team!" With that, he wrenched the door open and stormed out, slamming it behind him.

"Matt!" Tai yelled, but it was too late.

_What have I done?_

"So, are you going after him?" the brunette turned to face Joe, who was standing in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen.

"No. I'm sick of chasing him. If he thinks this'll help Takeru, so be it. He can burn in hell."

"Feel the love."

"I'm not in the mood for this," Tai hissed, snatching his own coat from the coat rack.

"Where are you going?" asked Joe, bewildered.

"Where else?" he laughed bitterly, "To chase Matt."

Kinda short, but I promise that chapter seven will be much longer. Bear with me. Next time on 'A Brother's Worth': Matt gets some time to think and Takeru gets his first important survival lesson. Can Tai snap Matt out of his relapse in time to come up with a way to save Takeru?

Now were getting to the interesting part of the plot. Keep checking in for updates!

~ Jacklyn Stone ~


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